The present invention claims the benefit of Federal Republic of Germany Patent Application No. 102 40 635.9, filed Sep. 3, 2002.
The present invention relates to a guide mechanism for a cover of a motor vehicle sliding/tilting roof, comprising at least one slotted guide that is at least indirectly coupled to the cover, and a drain gutter extending at the rear edge of the cover transversely to the vehicle and having an associated bearing part which is likewise shifted together with the drain gutter during horizontal shifting of the cover.
A guide mechanism for a cover of a motor vehicle sliding/tilting roof may include at least one slotted guide that is at least indirectly coupled to the cover and a drain gutter extending at the rear edge of the cover transversely to the vehicle and having an associated bearing part which is likewise shifted together with the drain gutter during horizontal shifting of the cover. One example of a guide mechanism of this type is shown in DE 44 05 742 C1 or in DE 195 14 585 A1. Usually, profiled rails are arranged on either side of the cover, and there are at least one so-called front guide shoe and one so-called rear guide shoe running in each profiled rail. The terms xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d refer to the condition as installed in the vehicle and to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front guide shoe constitutes the pivot bearing of a lever-type slotted guide having at least one lateral guide track.
The slotted guide is indirectly or directly coupled to the cover. The guide track formed in the slotted guide is engaged by a sliding block connected with the rear guide shoe. The rear guide shoe is normally driven via a cable to resist buckling. When the rear guide shoe is displaced, the sliding block will travel in the guide track, providing for a swiveling motion of the slotted guide and hence for swiveling of the cover. The swiveling raises the cover, for instance, or, prior to displacement thereof, lowers it at its rear end.
Typically, a bearing part for the drain gutter positioned below the rear edge of the cover is a separate guide shoe which, in the prior art, is mechanically rigidly coupled to the slotted guide directly or indirectly by means of a linkage. A locking latch in the region of the bearing part allows the entire shiftable unit (e.g., the drain gutter and the bearing part) to be locked against any unintentional horizontal displacement in the raised position and in the intermediate positions down to the initial position, which is the closed position of the cover.
There is a desire for a guide mechanism having a simpler structure than currently-known guide mechanisms.
The object of the invention is to provide a simpler configuration in the guide mechanism for the cover of a sliding/tilting roof. This is achieved in a guide mechanism of the type mentioned above in that the slotted guide is fully decoupled from the drain gutter in the horizontal direction of displacement (longitudinal direction of the vehicle) when the cover is in a raised position. Unlike prior art structures, however, the guide mechanism according to the invention features no rigid coupling via a connecting lever or a connecting linkage in the direction of displacement so that the respective parts, which hitherto had been relatively long, may be dispensed with.
In one embodiment, the bearing part of the drain gutter preferably has a separate locking arrangement that is active in the raised position of the cover for securing the bearing part in position such as, for instance, a positive latching connection between a latching hook associated with the bearing part and a profiled rail provided for lengthwise shifting of the bearing part along with the drain gutter. xe2x80x9cPositive latchingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpositive fitxe2x80x9d means an engagement in a form-fitting manner.
The latching hook may be spring-mounted and, once it has reached an appropriate position, it will engage into a local recess in the profiled rail.
Advantageously, the bearing part is a plastic part adapted to be shifted within the profiled rail. The latching hook is preferably also a plastic part that is injection molded to a spring. The spring may be further provided with a shaped piece applied to it by, for example, injection molding and that may be positively inserted into an appropriate recess in the bearing part. This allows the invention to avoid using multi-component plastic parts since the properties needed for the latching hook differ from those required of the easily sliding bearing part.
In the initial and lowered positions of the cover, at least a portion of the unit including the slotted guide, and preferably the slotted guide itself, positively engages in the unit comprising the drain gutter and the bearing part in order to couple these two units with each other in the horizontal direction with a positive fit. Therefore, in the initial and the lowered positions, where the two individual units are in fact intended to be shifted as one joint unit, they are rigidly coupled to each other.
Preferably, in the area of the rear end thereof, the slotted guide has a downwardly pointing nose diving into a recess in the bearing part. This eliminates the need for any further intermediate parts, and the bearing part is of a very simple design since the nose may be injection molded integrally with the slotted guide.
In the raised position, the unit including the slotted guide has at least a portion that is directly locked in the profiled rail with a positive fit such that the cover is prevented from being displaced.